The 3Es of Social-Emotional Development ©: Supporting Black Children and Families | York Region | Fall 2026

The 3Es of Social-Emotional Development ©: Supporting Black Children and Families

The 3Es of Social-Emotional Development ©: Supporting Black Children and Families is an evidence-based, community-informed training program designed for EarlyON educators, child care providers, teachers, early childhood educators, and practitioners who work with children ages 3–8 years in Peel Region.

The training aims to strengthen educators’ capacity to support children’s social-emotional development and well-being, with a specific focus on Black children. Using a clinical-developmental, trauma-informed, and strengths-based approach, the training focuses on building children’s social-emotional competencies, recognizing their strengths, examining our own biases, and developing meaningful partnerships with Black children and their families.

The training framework focuses on three core competencies of social-emotional development, known as The 3Es©:

·       Emotion regulation: supporting children in understanding and managing their emotions 

·       Empathy for the self: supporting self-kindness and self-understanding

·       Empathy for others: supporting perspective-taking and understanding others

Community-Informed and Research-Based

The training was developed by Principal Investigator Dr. Tina Malti and the team at the Centre for Child Development, Mental Health, and Policy (CCDMP) at the University of Toronto Mississauga and is informed by over 20 years of research. The training is also informed directly by the Black community in Peel through:

1.     A series of focus groups with Black caregivers of children ages 3–8 years; and

2.     Ongoing collaborative input from two Black community advisors who are educators with extensive experience working with the Black community. 

Training Structure

The training consists of three modules delivered throughout October and early November. Each module includes a self-paced session and a virtual live group session.

Self-paced sessions include a series of brief videos to be viewed during the learners’ own time. Live group sessions are facilitated by the CCDMP team and two Black community advisors and provides opportunities for discussion, reflection, and application of the concepts covered in each module. Learners will also complete a series of surveys to provide feedback and support our evaluation of the training. 

Module 1: Child Social-Emotional Development

·       Self-paced session

·       Live group session

Module 2: Early Relationships

·       Self-paced session

·       Live group session

Module 3: Well-Being, Growth, and Assessment

·       Self-paced session

·       Live group session

What You’ll Receive

ü Certificate of Completion from the CCDMP at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

ü Access to downloadable resourcesü through the virtual live group sessions.